A weekend at Midford mansion
by shir0usagi
Summary: Ciel is invited to Midford mansion for the weekend. And somehow it seems as much of a trouble as the cases he takes on as the queen's watchdog. Ciel x Lizzie fluff. Oneshot


**Hey! This is an idea I came up with out of nowhere, really I don't know how it happened. Enjoy!**

* * *

He let out a heavy sigh. He rested his head on his wrist, staring at the landscape outside the window with no particular interest.

"Is something bothering you, young master?" Sebastian asked.

"This weekend…is going to be the death of me." His slender body trembled back and forth as the carriage crossed its way on a bumpy path. He was invited to Midford mansion for the weekend. The Midfords' daughter and his fiancée, Elizabeth had come over to Phantomhive mansion quite a few times over the past months, so they thought that it was only legitimate to return the gesture. He was sure though that Elizabeth had played a greater role in this invitation than they would claim.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Besides, it's a good chance to ease your mind from work, don't you think?"

"You haven't stayed at Aunt Francis' house for two days, that's why you're saying that." He couldn't see how it could possibly ease his mind. On the contrary, it seemed to be in a way just as tough as the cases he was appointed as the queen's watchdog.

"Though I feel I've forgotten something, but I can't recall what that is…" the butler mentioned, placing an index on his chin.

Ciel's eye narrowed and his lips curved into a devious smirk. "Oh? So there's something that can even escape your notice?"

"It appears so."

The carriage stopped, they had reached their destination.

He had just stepped off when he heard a familiar squeal and within moments a pair of arms had wrapped around him tightly.

"CIEL !"

"Hey Liz-", but before he could finish, Lizzie squeezed him on her as though there was no tomorrow.

Sebastian restrained a laugh at the sight of his master being suffocated to death.

"I missed you so much!" Then, without loosening her grip, she started swirling him around mercilessly. "Oh my god, you're cuter than ever!"

"I think I might just spit my entrails out…" he breathed.

"Elizabeth!" they both turned their heads towards the woman that walked to them. "What an inappropriate behavior is this?"

"But we are not in public!" Lizzie's hands now locked around his neck and pulled him closer, making their cheeks press on each other.

"It doesn't matter! A lady should not forget her manners under any circumstances!"

The girl complied and released Ciel, who stumbled until he regained his balance.

"It's good to see you again, Aunt Francis."

"Welcome." she replied briefly but her tone was remarkably softer than the one she had when she reprimanded her daughter. Then her glare fell on Sebastian, who stood a little behind.

She made a few steps towards him and grabbed his chin. "You..." disgust reflected in her expression, as though she had smelled something unpleasant.

_Ah, that's what I forgot… _He furrowed his brows apologetically.

"Indecent as ever, with those pitch black hair all over your face! You look almost…" she searched for the proper word, "demonic!"

Ciel let out a little snort. _If only she knew…_

"I apologize for my improper image, marchioness." He said as she tugged the raven strands to the back of his head.

"It's been a while, marquis." Ciel reached his palm out for a handshake but the man had a warmer greeting in mind.

"How fares my cute little Earl?" he said, pinching his cheek violently.

"Whaaah- fine I suppose" _What's wrong with those people?..._

Elizabeth's elder brother scanned him from the head to the toes, then all the way up. "Phantomhive."

"Edward." He winced at the intense stare.

Lizzie clapped her hands cheerfully. "Now let's go to the garden for some tea, shall we?"

_We've been here for just a few minutes and it already feels exhausting._

* * *

"Checkmate."

Marquis Midford blinked in awe. He didn't see that coming. "That was very clever my boy."

"I don't like losing at games…" Ciel said casually, crossing his fingers. "Now shall we play another one?"

"Enough with chess, Ciel! It's boring and it's not cute at all!" Lizzie whined, tugging on his arm. "We should do something more fun."

Sebastian leaned close to his ear and whispered "By the way young master, you forgot 'it'."

"Ah right." He cleared his throat. "Lizzie, I brought you something."

"A present? What is it? What is it?"

"Why don't you open it and see for yourself?" he handed her a wrapped box with a pink ribbon that his butler just brought out.

Tearing the wrap into pieces, she opened it impatiently and her eyes lit with joy when she saw the beautiful emerald dress that was inside.

"It's so cute! And it has matching gloves! Thank you Ciel, thank you so much!" She pulled him into another deathly hug.

"We had miss Hopkins make it for you" Sebastian added.

"Is that so?" she said and squeezed him even more, to the point he felt that his eyeballs were going to pop out of his skull.

A little vain popped on Edward's forehead, steams of anger and jealousy emitting from his ears. "You weren't half as excited when I brought you those heart-shaped earrings the other day!"

"That's not true brother, I was just as happy." she pulled the dress out of the box and held it tight.

"Actually I'm going to wear it right now!"

"Umm…isn't it a little too formal for-" Ciel started.

"I don't care, I want to wear your present!" she pouted. "Paula, come help me get changed!"

Francis was about to yell at her daughter as she ran to the inside of the mansion, but her husband placed his hand on hers, stopping her. "Dear, she's still a child, let her have fun."

She crossed her arms under her chest and bumped her heel on the ground, looking as if she sought for something, or maybe someone, to canalize her irritation into.

"Ciel, get up! We'll have fencing practice."

The boy gulped. He had feared that this might happen. "Eh…Now?"

"Right now!"

He sighed. "Very well then." He nodded Sebastian to follow them.

"I hope you have improved. My daughter's future husband must excel at swordsmanship." She said as they walked on the stairs that led to the inside.

"I hope I meet your expectations." Then he glanced over his shoulder and saw Sebastian standing quite a few meters behind.

"Sebastian, are you coming?"

The butler forced his gaze to avert from the tail that waved playfully to the left and to the right. "Will you please excuse me for a while? I'd like to…visit the bathroom." Now that was a terrible excuse, but it was the only thing he could think of.

"Fine."

He waited until they vanished in the hall and then ran at the other side of the garden.

There it was. A ginger cat with white belly and snout.

He sat beside the feline and run his fingers through the soft fur, and it started to purr. His eyelids lowered in an affectionate stare; he had lived thousands of years in this world and this sound was still the most beautiful one he had ever heard.

The cat rubbed its head on his hand tenderly with eyes closed. It lied on its back and stretched its feet, showing him the pinky paws and he couldn't help but smile at the cute sight. He grabbed the animal and held it just above his head to examine its stunning features. He could see its nostrils move as it sniffed him.

"Oh my, you look like a baby lion." Then unexpectedly, the cat licked his nose.

"I see you took a liking on me too." It meowed in response.

"Oh!" If there was such thing as melting a demon's heart, then that would be it.

* * *

Ciel fell on the couch, trying to catch his breath.

" Average, but better than I expected." Francis muttered.

_I must hand it to Sebastian…_ he thought as he recalled the rigid training we he had with him.

"Good job, Earl." And with that, she patted his head.

He smiled nervously; the marchioness was a strict woman that seldom demonstrated acts of affection. But the truth is, she admired him. The way he managed his household and business at the young age of 13, the way he lived up to his father's name with dignity, the way he selflessly protected her daughter when needed, the way he tried his best even though his built wasn't helping. For all that, he had earned her respect.

"Thank you Aunt."

The door opened and Lizzie walked in. "There you are!"

They looked towards her and she turned around to show off her dress. "How do I look?" she asked cheerfully.

"You look great." Ciel walked to her. "Emerald was a good choice after all, it matches your eyes."

Lizzie smiled. In fact, the dress was a slightly shorter than it should and with a careful look, a little tighter than it should as well. Paula had trouble making her fit in it. She hated her growing pace. Probably it was the only time she would get to wear it because by the time an occasion appropriate for this attire came up, it wouldn't fit her anymore. But she said she would wear it today and so she did; she wouldn't go back on her word nor let him think that she couldn't make use of his present.

"I believe it's time for dinner." Francis said, looking at the clock. "Let's go."

* * *

She stared at his peaceful sleeping face for a few minutes before poking on his cheek, dragging him softly back to consciousness.

"Ci-e-l!"

He opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the dark of the room and distinguish a pair of twin tails hanging inches away from his face.

"Aaaaa" he crept away from her and instinctively covered his right eye.

Elizabeth moved her index on her lips "Sssshhh"

"Wh-what are you doing here Lizzie?" he asked nervously as his free hand reached shakily for the eyepatch on the bedside table.

She giggled.

"Go back to your bedroom!"

"But I can't sleep! I want company"

"You shouldn't be here. What if someone notices you sneaked out of your bed?" Cold shivers run down his spine as he pictured the Midford's reaction if they found out. They would have his head cut off. Or worse, they would all want to have their share in the murder and chop him in more pieces, then feed him to stray dogs. And they would have every right to do so. He felt himself drenched in cold sweat at the mere thought.

Lizzie snorted. "They're all heavy sleepers, they won't realize even if someone bombs the mansion."

_What has gotten into her?_ She had spent the night in his mansion quite a few times but never had she done something so foolish. Was it that they were in her 'territory'? Either way, he wasn't willing to take the risk, all he wanted was to fall back to sleep.

'Come one Ciel, let's do something fun! Like...a boat ride in the lake!"

"In this ungodly hour?"

"Yes! Under the moonlight, it will be so romantic! Come on Ciel, please?" she begged with puppy eyes.

He sighed. "I can't deny when a lady asks me like that, can I?"

She flashed him a smile and they looked at each other for a few moments.

"Ahem. You'll have to let me get changed."

"Oh right." Her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry." She got off the bed and walked out of the room.

Ciel got dressed, quite clumsily he had to admit, and joined Elizabeth out of the room. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the staircase. The stairs creaked at every step he made and he cursed inside. Why was he doing this again? They got to the garden through a side door and set their way towards the lake down the hill. Although it was summer there was a breeze that made him a little cold, but it wouldn't seem quite masculine if he whined about it. He looked at Lizzie; she was too fascinated by the starry sky to bother about the weather or the carelessness of the situation.

At some point, she tangled her fingers with his and he held on her hand tight. As the time went by and he let himself enjoy the walk, he realized it was really nice and peaceful. The only sound he could hear was their footsteps and the rustling of the tree leaves as the wind blew through them. Before he realized they were at the lakeshore. He stepped on the boat and reached his hand to help her get on. Since they had already sneaked out and there was no point in trying to put some sense into her anymore, he decided to play along and give her the romantic moment she sought.

"My lady."

She giggled and took his hand, stepping in and settling on a seat in front of his. Ciel released the rope that held the boat at the shore and paddled, driving the boat towards the lake's center.

"Happy now?"

She nodded cheerfully and bent towards the water's surface to take a better look.

"Careful there."

When the boat reached the middle of the lake, he stopped and Elizabeth sat beside him. His eye wandered on the moon's reflection upon the water, then at the two other buildings across the other side of the lake.

Following his gaze, Lizzie broke the silence. "This is the mansion of Earl Westwood." She said, pointing at the one on the left. "The Earl's daughter, Isabella is my best friend, you know! She is so kind! I've told her a lot about you, I'm sure she'd like to meet you one day."

"Hmm.."He paid attention to his fiancée's blabbering, though he didn't really care about those details.

"And this one belongs to Viscount of Druitt."

He shivered at the statement. "Is that so…" he muttered nervously. _This guy is haunting me everywhere I go…_

She rested her head on his shoulder and placed her hand above his. "Sometimes I wish we could just grow up already... Maybe then I'll be able to understand you just a bit."

He looked at her, a puzzled expression curved on his face. _What's with her all of a sudden?_

"You've changed Ciel. You never laugh, you never tell me anything… What happened to you?"

He averted his gaze. "I just matured, that's all…" It was not a lie, but not the entire truth either, a truth she didn't need to know. She was seeking answers, yet her naivety was way too dense to conceive something so grim.

She sighed. Out of relief or maybe out of doubt, she couldn't tell. Perhaps she was exaggerating, perhaps it's a natural sequence of losing your parents and meddling in the adult world to that extend… And eventually she would be like this as well. Maybe then she would be able to love him the way he needed and mend any mental scar he might hide within. Anyway, she felt she made him uncomfortable or even recall bitter memories, so she thought it was best not to insist on the matter.

"But then again, I won't be cute as an adult…" she said in an effort to lighten the conversation.

"Well I guess you'll have a different charm then."

Lizzie flashed a warm smile, her eyelids lowered in an affectionate gaze.

His face dyed in a reddish shade when he realized what he had just said. "I m-mean…"

"You really are the cutest thing ever." She whispered, inches away from his face. His mind blurred at the proximity and he felt his all his joints locked as he watched her getting closer before she slowly, softly pressed her lips on his. He was startled at first but soon he gave into the moment, returning the kiss. She pulled back, slowly opening her eyes only to shut them close once more as he caught her lips once again, memorizing the way they felt.

They parted and she raised her eyes to meet his before they both looked away. Her palm placed above her chest, where her heart pounded like crazy; although she initiated it, it took her some time to proceed what happened. After years that they've been betrothed, that was the first act of romance they ever shared, and his eager response settled a tingling flutter in her heart.

Ciel shifted uncomfortably in his place, staring the other way. He was surprised by himself, by her, by the impact it had on him, by the situation in its entirety. This definitely wasn't in his plans when he agreed to sneak out of bed. He took a glimpse of her with the corner of his eye, trying to suppress her excitement.

Suddenly guilt stroke him. She was thinking ahead of their future together while he didn't even know if he would live that long for it to happen. He wondered if she would love him if she knew that he had sold his soul to a demon. He always seemed to be the knight in shiny armor. She was oblivious of how corrupted he really was. Oblivious to his dire past, that still haunted his dreams and threatened his piece of mind, as well as to the darkness of the future before him.

But then again, she wouldn't find out anyway. He would disappear once more and leave her devastated, but this time he wouldn't be coming back. And that thought affected him more than he would like to believe. Although he had sealed his heart from any tender emotion -at least he thought so, this unconditional devotion of hers seemed to tear past the walls he had build and warm him inside. He couldn't help but wonder to what extend did it go and believe that he was unworthy of it. After all, she was now the only link to his old cheerful and carefree self, which he had shed almost completely. From childhood's platonic love to duty and to this odd mixture of affection and stoicism, he had grown to deeply care about her and cherish the bond they shared.

He thought that she was lucky to live in this bubble, laced with all those cute things she loved so. He didn't crave it though. He regretted for the way the innocence and childish cheer were forcefully deprived from him, but not for the path he chose to follow. He would walk through it all the way, even if that meant to forsake the people that loved him.

He looked back at her and smiled nervously. "Shall we go back inside, what do you say?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Elizabeth nodded softly and settled back on her seat.

Their way back to the mansion felt much quicker. They walked up the stairs slowly, trying not to make noise. Ciel looked over his shoulder to see if Lizzie was right behind and didn't notice the figure that walked down the stairs until he felt his body bump on something hard.

He looked up and saw a shocked Edward Midford who couldn't believe his eyes standing before them.

"B-Brother!"

"Wha-what the hell are you two doing here?"

"N-Nothing…"

"I expected better from a refined young lady, Elizabeth. But you are an innocent and naïve little angel after all… It's all his fault!" he emphasized that last one sentence, giving him an angry glare that gave him goose bumps.

Edward grabbed his collar and raised him, his feet barely touched the ground. "Speak up Phantomhive, what did you do to my sister?" he asked through gritted teeth.

_Shit! I knew it was a bad idea… _

"May I ask what is going on here?" a voice sounded and they all turned around.

"Sebastian!"

Edward dropped Ciel down and cleared his throat. "It seems that the Earl was trying to seduce my sister."

Sebastian frowned. "The young master is not that sort of man. I bet they were both looking for me."

"For you?" He looked just as curious as Ciel and Lizzie were.

"Certainly. You see, the young master…" he stopped to take a glance at Ciel, "felt some stomach discomfort. So I said I would bring him some hot milk."

"The dinner was kind of heavy." The boy added, rubbing his stomach.

"Then as I walked outside miss Elizabeth's bedroom-"

"I had a nightmare!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, it appears she had a bad dream and I heard her crying, so I took the liberty to walk into her room. She told me what happened and I said I would bring her some milk as well."

"It was terrible brother, I still can't calm myself!" she cried.

Sebastian continued. "But as I am not familiar with this mansion, it took me a while to find the kitchen. I was awfully late, so I guess they both went out to see what happened of me."

Lizzie nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. I found Elizabeth at the staircase so we went to look for him together." Ciel said casually.

"And when I went back to their rooms, neither the young master nor miss Elizabeth were there, so I was on my way down to look for them when I saw you all here."

Edward looked at Ciel. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"I can't go wandering in someone else's house in sleeping attire, can I?"

He furrowed his brows, wearing a skeptical expression. Ciel gulped. _There's no way he'll bite those poor lies… _

"That seems to be the case…" he muttered. "I apologize for my earlier behavior."

"I-It's alright..." _I can't believe he bought it…_

Lizzie sighed out of relief. Then her eyes fell on his too formal clothes. "By the way brother, why are _you_ dressed like that?"

But it seemed that, apart from detecting lies, Edward Midford wasn't good at telling lies either. He fidgeted nervously, trying to think of an excuse. "I… well…"

Ciel raised a brow. "Could it be that you're going somewhere…at this late of the night?"

"Th-that's none of your business…"

A sly smirk crept on his face. "I wonder what Aunt Francis would say if she knew that you sneaked out to go to a not so decent party…"

Edward opened his mouth but no words came out. The brat was spot on.

Ciel had to admit that his reaction was very amusing. "We won't say anything though. As long as you don't mention this incident, that is."

"I w-wouldn't make fuss about such a petty thing." He replied.

"That's good to hear. Goodnight then."

"Goodnight brother!"

They turned around and walked upstairs, followed by Sebastian, leaving him behind speechless.

"That was close!" Lizzie mumbled.

They walked her to her room and then headed to his, at the end of the long corridor.

"I believe you did ease your mind from work during your stay here…" Sebastian said teasingly.

"Shut up!"

Though the butler could see a faint blush stain his cheeks.

* * *

**So this is it... I couldn't resist, so I put a little Sebastian x Kitty moment. And the kitty just so happens to be like my cat! hehee **

**Anyway, hope you liked it! **

**I'd love it if you reviewed :P**


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